Topping the agenda are the Iranian nuclear program, Syria's ongoing civil war, and the buildup of Islamist terror groups in the Egyptian Sinai.

Dempsey will meet with Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz and other senior security personnel to discuss "military cooperation and shared security challenges," the IDF Spokesman's Office said in a statement released on Monday.

He will also meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, and President Shimon Peres.

Afterward, Dempsey will travel to Jordan to meet with U.S. troops stationed there, including an F-16 squadron monitoring the violence in Syria.

The United States has steadily increased its military presence in Jordan in the event violence heats up along its border with Syria.